


What Matters

by simplylalaa



Category: High School Story (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, high school story, hss, hss fanfic, mc x max warren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 06:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20223175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplylalaa/pseuds/simplylalaa
Summary: Saba felt guilty. She had secretly been seeing Max Warren for almost a month now, and it seemed as though all her lying and sneaking around behind her friends was finally catching up to her.





	What Matters

**Author's Note:**

> Posted originally to my Tumblr (@simplylalaa)

Saba felt guilty. She had secretly been seeing Max Warren for almost a month now, and it seemed as though all her lying and sneaking around behind her friends was finally catching up to her.

“So, how did your appointment with the doctor go last week?” Payton questioned her as the two of them walked toward their usual lunch spot in the school courtyard.

“Hmm?” Saba’s head snapped up from her phone. She had just received a text from Max, and had only been paying attention half heartedly. “Sorry, what? What doctors appointment?”

Payton gave her a playful eye roll . “Your doctor’s appointment last Friday, duh. How’d it go? Is everything alright?”

“Oh– Oh! Yeah! That doctor’s appointment.”

Saba cringed inwardly at the slip up. She had told Payton and Mia she couldn’t go shopping with them last Friday afternoon because she had a doctor’s appointment, when in reality she had another secret date with Max. She had completely forgotten she even told them that until Payton brought it up, and she mentally cursed herself for not keeping better track of the excuses she was giving to people. This was just another mistake she could add to the list of slip ups she’s made since sneaking around with Max.

Saba never had been a good liar. She always got way too nervous, and often times felt too guilty afterwards which would result in her confessing the truth. It’s why she hardly ever lied. It was too much stress, and even the smallest of lies could spiral out of control. But this– sneaking around with Max Warren– gave her no choice. Lying was her only option.

She couldn’t tell her friends the truth. They would never understand her decision to give Max a chance. Hell– she couldn’t even fully understand it herself. But that day he asked her out at his and Mia’s birthday party– blurting the words out in a nervous jumble, she didn’t say no. Maybe it was because of the undeniable attraction she had felt for him since day one, or because of those rare moments where she caught glimpses of a different side to his normally tough exterior, but she found herself saying yes before she even had a chance to think about the consequences.

Granted, Max still had his flaws, and they weren’t perfect together by any means, but she found herself happy with him. Happy as they exchanged playful banter, as they snuggled up on the couch watching movies and talking about nothing and everything, when they were alone and he would let down his guard and macho-man exterior, showing a side to him she never knew existed. All of these little moments became one of her favorite things in the world. She knew she was falling quickly for Max, and against all logic she ignored the alarm bells in her head screaming, DANGER!

Payton giggled, snapping Saba back into the real world, oblivious to her friends slip up. “Yes, silly, that doctor’s appointment.”

By now they had reached their usual lunch table, a wooden one, shaded underneath a beautiful oak tree. Taking their seats, the two friends began to unpack their lunches. A few yearbook friends walking past waved to the girls as they passed by.

As Saba waved back, she avoided eye contact with Payton– the guilt was eating at her. “It was good. I’m perfectly healthy.”

Just then, Mia and Autumn approached their table. Greeting each other, the set down their lunch trays as they took their seats.

Autumn inhaled the crisp fall air deeply, smiling contentedly. “I just love fall. It’s such a beautiful and fresh time of the year, don’t you guys think?”

Payton nodded enthusiastically. “OMG, totally! Cozy sweaters, trendy scarves, adorable boots! What’s not to love?”

Autumn giggled, while Mia rolled her eyes chomping down on her salad. “Yeah, yeah, cute clothes, rainy days, cozying up by the fire, whatever. I much prefer summer when I can flaunt my sexy bikinis, and spend my days tanning at the beach.”

Acting out of character, Autumn playfully joked, “You mean burning?”

Mia threw a tomato at her, as Payton giggled.

The girls continued on with their playful banter, laughing and joking with each other. Saba, on the other hand, remained zoned out. Her slip up with Payton had got her thinking about her actions.

These were her best friends, practically her family, and she was lying to them– for what? A boy? A boy who’s notorious for terrorizing their school and her friends. How could she do this to them? Surely she was a horrible person. A person who didn’t deserve their friendship or their trust. She needed to break it off with Max. As much as it would hurt her, she couldn’t keep doing this.

This wasn’t the first time she’s battled with herself internally over this issue. She had spent many sleepless nights in the beginning of their relationship, telling herself that she needed to break it off with Max, that what they were doing was wrong. But then, she’d see him again, and he’d smile at her with a smile she’d only ever seen him give to her, and it wouldn’t feel wrong. It would feel right.

“Saba? You there?”

Saba’s head snapped away from the ladybug she had been intently staring at, and up towards Mia, where she was snapping her fingers in her face.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today, Saba. Are you alright?” Autumn asked, her large brown eyes full of concern.

Saba realized that almost half the lunch period had already gone by, and she had barely said two words to her friends. Looking around at them, she saw all their faces masked with concern.

“Uh– I'm–” Saba stuttered. “I’m just– I’m not feeling too good. I think I’m gonna go to the nurse.”

Hastily gathering her backpack and lunch in her arms, she all but sprinted away from her friends. Escaping the courtyard, she headed straight to the school parking lot where she got in her car. Slamming the door shut, she let out a frustrated breath and ran her hands through her hair. She just needed to escape and get a few moments alone to herself. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t keep lying to everybody.

With a determined nod to herself, she turned the key in her ignition. As she pulled out of her school parking lot, she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Telling herself this was the only solution, she headed down to her rivaling high school, Hearst.

As she arrived and parked in the Hearst parking lot ten minutes later, she pulled out her phone. Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she sent Max a message to meet her outside. Getting out of her car, she paced back and forth nervously, anxious and heartbroken about what she was going to do.

Only minutes later, Max appeared from around the corner, smiling that special smile at her once his crystal eyes met her chocolate ones.

Grinning arrogantly as he approached her, he pulled her into a tight embrace. “What, couldn’t wait just a few more hours to see me? Babe, your obsession with me is getting a bit out of hand.”

Saba felt like crying. She didn’t hug him back, nor did she respond with her usual banter.

Concerned, and suddenly growing serious, Max pulled back. Keeping his hands on her shoulders, he bent down slightly to meet those brown eyes that were avoiding his.

“Babe, what’s wrong? What happened?” Max was growing worried now.

Did something bad happen? Is she okay? Did someone hurt her? Why does she look like she’s about to cry?

Wrapping her arms around herself, she swallowed. “I can’t do this anymore, Max. It’s not gonna work.”

Now he was panicked, she couldn’t be doing what he thinks she’s doing. She’s not really gonna–

“We need to break up.”

Max felt like his chest was on fire. Hurt and rejection slapped him in the face, and for a moment all he felt was emptiness.

Pulling away from her he shook his head vehemently.

“No, no. We are not breaking up. Why would you even– I don’t understand. What went wrong? I thought you were happy! What the actual fu–” Max cut off his speech as he noticed silent tears had begun streaming down her face.

Immediately, he softened. He didn’t mean to make her cry. Taking a deep breath, Max tried to organize his thoughts. Stepping toward her again, he cupped her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with the pads of his thumbs.

“Hey, hey,” he soothed, “Don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, looking straight into his eyes. “It’s not your fault– I just– we can’t keep sneaking around like this. I can’t keep lying to my friends, Max. It’s been eating away at me for too long, and I can’t take it anymore.”

Pulling her to his chest, he began rubbing soft circles into her back and she gripped onto his t-shirt for dear life, not wanting to let go.

“I don’t want to break up.” She murmured.

Max gripped her tighter. “Then we won’t.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “We have to.”

Pulling back and holding Saba at arms length, Max stared hard into her eyes. “Why? Why do we have to? Look, I know I’m not perfect. I know we’re not perfect. But I do know that you’re the only person in my life right now that I feel like I can be myself around. You’re the only one who makes me feel like I’m something more than just some dumb football player. You make me happy, and I thought I made you happy too.”

Taking a deep breath, Max gulps nervously before continuing, “If you’re really not happy– if you really don’t want me anymore– then I’ll respect your decision. But don’t end this because you feel like you have to.”

“You do make me happy, Max, but–”

“Then isn’t that all that matters? That we’re happy?”

“I–” Saba opened her mouth to argue more, but she was at a loss for words.

He had a point. A very appealing point. All the logical arguments she had made earlier for why they should break up, suddenly didn’t seem so logical anymore.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Max whispered, “You do so much for everybody else. You’re always so focused on making others happy, you never stop to think about your own happiness.”

His words brought a familiar warmth to her chest. Max never failed to surprise her, and it was moments like these when he was able to say just the right thing, that she was reminded of the other side of Max she was growing to love.

Shaking her head, Saba let out a strangled laugh. “God, you’re such a manipulative punk, aren’t you?”

Max’s lips tugged up into a smile. “How do think I always manage to get what I want?”

Letting out a soft chuckle, she reaching a hand up to stroked the side of his cheek. “Thank you.” She whispered.

“For what?” He whispered back, leaning into her touch.

She smiled softly as she gazed up at him. “For saying just the right things I needed to hear.”

Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her hands behind his head, pulling his lips to hers.

Saba didn’t know what she was going to do about the secrecy of their relationship. She didn’t know how she was going to continue seeing Max without having to lie to her friends. And she didn’t even know if their relationship would last for the long run. But none of that mattered, because when she was with Max, she was happy. Absolutely, truly happy.


End file.
